Supreme Art
by demon sloth
Summary: Harry realised that being a Gryffindor gave him a rather short life expectancy. Instead of Horcruxes he spends his time hopping from country to country enjoying his life and freedom until he ends up in a bar called Sanctuary. Mass-brawling ensues.


**Written for Aerisiera who gave me the words Fenrir, Savitar and window and whom I scarred by making her imagine Savitar/Fenrir slash.**

**This one's for you love! :D**

**Warnings: Mentions of past-slash. Hardly anything. Violence.**

-/-

The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting – Sun Tzu

-/-

Harry wasn't stupid.

Well, okay, that was debatable. He'd been plenty stupid when he was younger – throwing himself into any and all danger to rescue the girl and be the hero.

He didn't try to cause trouble, but trouble always seemed to find him and with the way he had been raised any chance for good attention was grabbed with both hands.

It had gotten him that attention.

It had also gotten him his godfather killed.

When Harry had sat in Dumbledore's office at the end of his fifth year, broken objects littering the floor around him and tears running down his cheeks, he realised this.

He had spent so long trying to be something that would please those around him that he had lost the one thing that meant the most to him.

Then Dumbledore told him about the prophesy and a small voice in the back of his mind asked:

_Why?_

Why was it him? Why did he always have to save the day? Why did he have to be the perfect Gryffindor?

He had bowed his head then and caught sight of the still healing words carved into his hand.

_I will not tell lies._

He had been Gryffindor and it had gotten Sirius killed.

Good thing the hat's first choice had been Slytherin.

Maybe it was time to stop lying to himself.

So he had waited. Sixth year was a balance between playing along with Dumbledore and the horcrux hunt and spending as much time as possible in the library learning everything and anything he thought might help him.

Hermione had been thrilled thinking that he had finally taken an initiative in his studies. Ron had been baffled. They had both tried to get in the way though – Hermione by trying to help him and Ron by trying to get him to stop. Harry just ignored them and after a few months they got the hint.

The Golden Trio started to drift apart.

Harry regretted it a little, but he was Slytherin now in all but name and his first priority was to himself.

He ignored the small Gryffindor part of him that whispered to him that it was better this way – that now they wouldn't be such large targets.

Ginny had cornered him in the common room one night whilst he had been working his way through a tome on warding and kissed him. There had been a hush as everyone, including Ron, had turned to see what Harry would do.

Harry, for his part, was irritated at being backed into a situation he didn't want to be in. And when Ginny had looked at him with those bright brown eyes he told her quite plainly that she reminded him too much of his mother for there to be anything between them.

Ginny had run crying, Hermione quickly following.

Ron had punched him in the face and stormed out after them.

Harry, after checking to see that his lip hadn't split, had merely picked up the motorbike maintenance manual for Sirius' bike and had started to read. Ignoring the furious whispers that had broken out around him.

Then Dumbledore had died and with him took the pressure off Harry's shoulders. Without the old man there trying to force him into a role he no longer wanted he was finally free. And because Harry hadn't told anyone else about the horcrux's he could finally just forget about them altogether.

That summer he had the Dursley's sign an emancipation form and took his N.E.W.T.'s a year early, not really caring about the results.

To his surprise he passed with fairly high marks – nothing below an EE.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders and blamed it on a year of nothing but study and no distractions.

Bill and Fleur's wedding was a bit awkward, especially since Ginny and Ron weren't talking to him still. It became even more awkward when Hermione found out that he had already tested out of Hogwarts.

And when the Ministry fell Harry had apparated straight to Gringotts and secured his vault, which now included the Black family vault as well – much to his surprise.

From there...he just got the hell out of dodge.

-/-

Harry parked his bike in a small unused courtyard and slid off.

Sirius' bike had lasted him well. He'd ridden it everywhere and thanks to memorising that manual back in sixth year he hadn't had any trouble with fixing it up.

It helped that the only trouble that it seemed to get in was when it passed through heavy wards.

Harry had theorised that it was due to the clashing magic in the wards and on the bike that caused the bike to shut down.

_That_ had been a shock the first time. Especially since he was using it as a getaway vehicle at the time.

He'd learned from his mistakes though. Whenever he knew he was going to be passing through some warded places he took it easy and tried to use as few of the enhancements as possible.

That's why he was using this courtyard instead of parking just outside of Sanctuary.

Who knew what kind of wards had been splashed across the most famous were-run bar in the world?

Obviously ones that were going to mess with his ride, and he had a feeling he might just need it tonight. The trouble that had found him in Japan hadn't yet caught up with him but it had been a few weeks now.

He was expecting something any day.

Striding down the street he spotted the bar and grinned at the line of motorbikes lining up outside.

His was _so_ much better.

He smirked at the two men standing guard at the door, his smirk morphing into a grin when they looked at him suspiciously.

Inside was crowded and noisy with the jukebox on full volume and people trying to talk over that to make themselves heard.

Despite this Harry could hardly pick out a regular human. Instead it seemed to be a two-for-one on any and all types of were-animals.

Harry grinned to himself as he made his way to the bar.

He had a feeling tonight was going to be a fun night.

"Hey there, what can I do for you?"

Harry looked up at six feet of blonde leggy goodness.

"Well hello, gorgeous."

The girl leaned back, her smile becoming slightly fixed. "What can I do for you?"

Harry leaned closer, tapping a cigarette out of his packet. "The question," he said, "is what _I_ can do _to_ you."

She snorted.

"Yeah, ok." Harry said with a grin, "That was a bit cheesy. Forgive me."

The girl smirked. "Oh, I don't know...it _was_ really bad."

"Yeah, been a lo-ong time since I've tried to flirt with anyone."

She grinned, "Really? How do you normally get girls?"

Harry shrugged. "Usually there's a lot more blood and damage to personal property." He chuckled, "Though it's not always girls." He lifted the cig to his lips.

"You can't smoke that in here." She said, nodding at the cig, "You're going to have to leave if you do."

"Oh, really?" Harry mock-pouted before breaking out into a devilish grin, "You don't want to light me up?"

Against what seemed to be her better judgement, the girl smiled.

Her smile dropped at the same time Harry felt a strong hand try to crush his collar bone. Lighter in hand he turned his head to look over his shoulder. Behind him stood four identical gods, each with blond hair curling down their backs and each wearing the same blood-freezing glare.

"I think we should talk privately, in the back room."

"Cherif, no –" The girl behind the bar protested, "Don't do this again. I can take care of myself!"

"Aimee, let us do our jobs."

"He wasn't even doing anything!"

"He was disrespecting you." The guy with the meanest glare said.

"Remi! Shut up! He was not! We were just joking around."

The god that had been identified as Remi leaned down closer to Harry's level with a sneer. "Well I don't like how he was '_joking_' around with you."

Harry slowly took the unlit cigarette out of his mouth.

"Is talk," he asked, addressing them all, "another word for a five-some? Because in that case –"

The men all gave him weird looks. The man, Cherif, who had a hold of him suddenly looked like he would rather one of his other brothers was holding him.

"I'm ma-married." He growled.

Harry smirked at the stumble. "She could join in."

Cherif lunged for him and the only thing that saved Harry from suddenly losing his throat was the fact that the other three brothers grabbed a hold of the furious were-bear.

"No?" Harry smirked as he put away his cigarette, "Ah well." He turned his back on the brothers, who were dragging away Cherif, to face Aimee. "I'll have a whiskey. No ice."

She looked at him in concern as she went about getting his order. "Aren't you worried that they're going to come back and beat you into a bloody smear?"

Harry grinned at her and sipped his drink. "Nah. I've had far worse things than a couple of bears out for my blood."

Aimee looked like she didn't quite believe that. Then did a double take at the information that he had casually dropped.

"Besides," Harry continued, "I know the rules. No fighting. Not much they can do whilst I'm sitting here not provoking them."

Aimee blinked. "How did you -?"

"Oh, I know _all_ about Sanctuary." Harry said, "In fact, it was recommended to me by a dear friend I met in Japan."

"Really?" Aimee leaned closer.

"Mmhmm. Good ol' Sandy."

"Sandy? Was she your girlfriend?"

Harry smirked and took another sip. "You could say that. In fact, you could even say she was a _tiger_ in bed." He snickered.

One of the brothers came back and stood behind the bar, his arms crossed over his chest and scowling menacingly at Harry. Harry wasn't sure but he thought it might have been Remi. Years of telling the Weasley twins apart had left him in good stead.

Besides, it was hard to replicate that kind of vitriol.

Harry ignored him. So did Aimee.

"Is she still in Japan?"

Harry shrugged, "I think so. Maybe?"

"Did you break up?"

"Eh, we weren't technically going out."

"I don't think I know a Sandy." Aimee turned to the brother behind her, "Remi, do you know a tiger called Sandy?"

Remi gritted his teeth but answered the question anyway. "No."

"Really?" Harry asked, downing the rest of his glass, "You might know him by his real name - Lysander Stephanos?"

Both Remi and Aimee's jaws dropped.

"Ah," Harry grinned, "I guess you have."

"You know Stephanos?" Remi asked, pushing Aimee behind him as he moved in front of her. "_No one_ knows him! He's been missing since eighteen seventeen."

Harry chuckled, "Yeah, he said something about that. Damned cat got me addicted to Pocky as well."

"_What_?" Remi asked in disbelief.

"Pocky. It's like this biscuit stick covered in chocolate." Harry fished out a packet from the inside of his leather jacket and offered it to the dumbfounded bear, "You want to try?"

"You're friends with him?"

Harry leaned across the bar until only inches separated them. "Well, I'd say more than _friends_ if you know what I mean."

Remi's face blanked and he quickly straightened looking rather flushed.

Aimee giggled behind him.

Harry shrugged and bit into another stick of pocky. "What can I say? I'm all for equal opportunity. I blame it on not having enough love growing up as a child."

Aimee pushed the rather dazed Remi behind her as she moved back to the front of the bar.

"What was Japan like?"

Harry chuckled at the thinly veiled curiosity in her eyes.

"Want to travel, like?"

She scowled. "I would, but my whole family is so over protective. It's ridiculous!"

Harry nodded, "I knew a girl like that once. Had six brothers."

"I have eleven."

He whistled. "You win."

"What happened to the girl you knew?"

Harry shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't heard a word from Britain in five years. I started travelling just as our community got locked down."

Aimee winced. "That must suck – not knowing."

"Not really. I'd started to drift from my friends a lot the year before I left. In fact, I don't even know if they considered me a friend in the end. They weren't really talking to me." He added seeing her questioning look.

There was a quiet pause as he thought of lost opportunities and decisions.

"So. Travelling." He gestured at his empty glass and watched as she refilled it. "Anything you want to know?"

"Where have you been? How can you afford it? You barely look over twenty one. Was it fun? What did you do? Why were you travelling in the first place?"

Harry threw his head back and laughed. "Hold on, hold on! Right," he took a mouthful of drink and thought about it for a moment, "I've been all over really. Got out of Britain and skipped over to France. Then went across to Germany, Italy and Spain. Hopped across to Denmark. Spent a _lot_ of time in Denmark." He grinned, "Friendly people.

"Then I flew over to China and wandered around there for a bit. _Then_ there was Japan where I met with Sandy.

"Was going to take on Russia after that but Sandy convinced me to head over here after some people from my past caught up with me. Said that Sanctuary was probably the safest place for me right now.

"Something about a vengeful bastard protecting the place?"

Aimee shuffled looking a little nervous.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "Eh, not like it matters really. Yes, I had fun. Did loads of crazy things that I can remember – and a few that I can't.

"I can afford it because I'm from old money and I left because someone thought I should die whilst all I wanted to do was live and have some fun with my life."

Aimee looked at him. "Well," she said after a pause, "apart from the whole – someone wanting you dead – it sounds wonderful. And you sound as if you've had fun."

"Oh, it is." Harry agreed. "And I have."

"I wish I could do something like that." Aimee said sadly.

Harry smiled, "Why, fair damsel, if you keep sounding like that then it would be my solemn duty as a wealthy English Lord to whisk you away on a journey filled with wonders, delights and debauchery."

Aimee laughed. "I wish."

Harry leaned back with an easy smile, "Well, if you change your mind give me a shout. It would be my pleasure." He turned to Remi who had just started to scowl at him again. "You too, Romeo."

"It's _Remi_."

Harry smirked, "Whatever you want me to yell."

Aimee hid her grin behind her hand. Remi looked like he was going to say something scathing but was interrupted by the door slamming open and an unconscious blond man being tossed into the room.

"Kyle!" Aimee called out in distress, making to rush to the guy who was now in a heap in the middle of the room but being held back by Remi.

"Remi, let me go! Kyle's injured! We need to help!"

Harry slipped off his stool when the doors banged open a second time and Fenrir Greyback strode into the room.

He sniffed at the air then turned his unwavering gaze on Harry.

"Harry Potter."

Harry raised his glass at him. "That's me."

"I've found you –"

He was cut off as four blond men rushed at him, tackling him to the floor. By the way they looked Harry could tell that these must be more of Aimee's brothers.

He watched as Fenrir sent one of them flying across the room and hitting the jukebox. Sweet Home Alabama turned itself on and the whole room erupted into chaos with people screaming and trying to get out of the building.

A tricky fete seeing as how there was a mass brawl just inside the doorway.

Harry leaned back against the bar and took another sip of his drink. He whistled as another one of the quadruplets was tossed across the room.

"_That's_ going to hurt in the morning."

There was an almighty roar as the man stood back up, shook himself off and charged straight back into the fray.

"Or maybe not."

Harry went to take another drink and realised the glass was empty. He shrugged to himself and put it on the bar – only to have it knocked off as another one of the brothers slid down the entire thing.

"Right, think I better go. Aimee?"

He looked around, not seeing either her or Remi. He peered over the bar. Remi was practically lying on top of Aimee, trying to keep her safe from the smashing glass that was falling on them from where some unlucky sod had been thrown into the mirror above them.

"Here, luv." Harry said fishing out a twenty and dropping it down to them, "Keep the change."

He turned around and only just managed to dodge out of the way of a thrown bottle that was heading straight for his head. He fished out another stick of pocky.

There was a loud crack and suddenly there was a tall man with long brown hair and a surfer's tan standing in the middle of the room looking positively furious. Magic and raw power crackled in the air around him as he launched himself at the mass brawl, picked up Fenrir by his throat and threw him straight through the window before following out after him.

Harry took a bite of his pocky. "Reminds me of that time in Germany." He said, before apparating out of the building to his bike which he had fortunately parked a few streets away in a deserted courtyard. Thank God for paranoia.

He had had the feeling that he might need a quick getaway and he'd been right.

Finishing off his pocky he slid onto the seat and gunned the engine, smiling when it roared to life beneath him.

Time to get going. Though he had a feeling that he'd be back sooner rather than later.

Sanctuary was a fun place.

-/-

**So what did you all think? It was fun to write – and I might write up Harry's sixth year and his travels if people want. Depends. Gonna focus on writing the sequel first.**

**Continued in:** **Sunshine on Chrome**


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